Mcminn County TN Archives Obituaries.....Wattenbarger, Mary Jane Simpson January 5, 1953
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Tom Long tlongjr@cfl.rr.com September 27, 2009, 8:07 pm

Daily Post Athenian, 6 Jan 1953
Mrs. Mary Jane Wattenbarger Simpson, member of pioneer family and one of McMinn
County’s oldest resident, died at 11 p.m. Monday night at the home of a
daughter, Mrs. R.H. (Alpha) Snyder at near-by Niota. She had been a semi-invalid
for the past four years, and would have celebrated her 94th birthday next
February 1.

She was the widow of Luke Simpson, who died 31 years ago. For the past 26 years
she made her home with her daughter, Mrs. Snyder in Niota. She was a lifelong
resident of McMinn County, a daughter of the late Ananais (Bud) Wattenbarger and
Emmaline McKeehan Wattenbarger.

Mrs. Simpson better known as “Aunt Mary Jane” was a member of a pioneer McMinn
County family who endured hardships of the early frontier days. She was a
motherly woman of the “old school” and in her younger days lived through
hardships with no time for “parties nor vacations.” Instead she devoted all her
“spare time” to spinning both wool and cotton from which she would weave into
material to be fashioned into garments for her husband and children.

She often told of weaving the old fashioned linsey and cotton cloth used for
dresses and shirts. From jeans she made her husband’s suits. She also made the
wool coverlets which are now prized possessions, blankets from wool and sheets
from cotton thread were also woven, and towels and other articles were woven
from the home-grown flax.

Some 25 years ago, Mrs. Simpson and daughter, Mrs. Snyder purchased a modern day
shuttle loom on which they wove numerous articles. Until recent years she was
able to thread her own needle and read her bible daily without the aid of
glasses. She was a devout Christian and a firm believer in prayer - - a member
of the Sewee Church of God.

Surviving are four daughters, Mrs. Snyder of Niota; Mrs. Maggie Foster of Sewee;
Mrs. A. (Emma) Jordon of near Sewee: and Mrs. A. F. (Eva) Ringo of Spokane Wash;
one sister, Mrs. Nammie Newman; of the Buttram community and several
half-brothers; 24 grandchildren; 37 great grandchildren; and 13 great-great
grandchildren. Two children, Luther Simpson of Hot Springs South Dakota, and
Mrs. B. M. (Ada) Redmond of Corvalis, Ore., died during the past few years.

Funeral services will be conducted Wednesday at 2 p.m. at the Sewee Church of
God with the Pastor, the Rev. H. L. Elliott; the Rev. Hugh Hackler of Meigs
County; the Rev. Sanford Swann of Niota, and the Rev. C. A. Allison of Inglewood
officiating.

Pallbearers will be Bruce Kennedy, Owen Kennedy, Sim Sewell, Bill Snyder, Tommy
Foster and Nelson Simpson.

The body will be removed to the home of a daughter, Mrs. Snyder in Niota at 5
p.m. today where it will remain until the funeral hour Tuesday. 

File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/tn/mcminn/obits/w/wattenba22ob.txt

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